Finding Yourself in a Routine Plot
by Kouji Tamino
Summary: Kaname finds herself kidnapped, rescued by Sousuke with assistance from a certain spy and a martial artist, then gets molested by Hayashimizu and Ren with a green onion. Finally, when the smokes clears, she gathers up all her courage to ask Sousuke if...
1. Kidnap Redux

I do not own 'Full Metal Panic!' or any of its sequels. That honor belongs to Shouji Gatou. I am also not affiliated with any the FMP! anime series. That honor goes to Gonzo Digimation and Kyoto Animation.

Camp Gung Ho is, at the moment, dead. I'm currently working on a long running original story, so I have no time to write another multi-chapter fic. Also, I was working on the long delayed second chapter, when I just lost all inspiration. I really don't think it's going to work out like I thought it was. I'm currently taking a break from my original work of fiction though, so I will work on this in the mean time. I recently finished 'The Second Raid', so I'm a little high on 'FMP!' at the moment. This one here will be about 2-3 chapters depending on how long my break is. Let's begin.

-Kouji Tamino

P.S. Kudos to those who can guess which classic mecha series intertwined with romantic comedy and slapstick had an episode with the same name as this fic.

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**Finding Yourself in a Routine Plot**

Situation 1: _Kidnap Redux_

Kaname Chidori awoke lazily with a yawn, feeling more light headed than usual. Cursing her low blood pressure, she lazily stumbled out of bed and trudged her way to her bathroom. Stripping of her pajamas and undergarments, she enjoyed a nice long, warm shower. The 'Whispered' girl had a feeling that today would be a day like any other, with nothing really special happening at all. She didn't know why, but today just didn't seem like it would be all that great.

After getting dressed, grabbing a quick bite to eat, and doing a last minute check to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she was off to school. The trip to the train station was complimented with a pleasantly light breeze on that warm summer morning. Closing her eyes and stopping for a moment, she simply let the wind flow through her hair. "Mmm, that feels good."

"Good morning, Chidori." Sousuke Sagara said plainly, suddenly walking up next to his classmate, close friend, and ward. Surprising her, he soon found him on the receiving end of an elbow right to the gut. Gasping as the wind was knocked out of him, a sharp pain ran through his lower torso and he almost doubled over from it. It was amazing how much her hits hurt him sometimes. After coughing and managing to catch his breath, he fleetingly pondered if she had ever considered becoming a professional fighter of some sort before finally speaking again. "That hurt…"

Growling, a vein popped in her forehead as she crossed her arms, still not turning to face him as they continued walking. "It serves you right! You know better than to sneak up on people like that!" Great, her morning had barely begun and her now self-proclaimed bodyguard already had her on edge. She had to admit though, she was quite surprised when just a few months ago she had found out that Sousuke's protection of her was no longer authorized by Mithril. It was all him, which kind of impressed her if she really thought about it. He was protecting her _not_ because of his duty, but because he truly cared… The very idea of it made her blush as she turned briefly to, and she failed to hide it very well. "Anyway", she began, quickly turning away again, "good morning to you as well, Sousuke…"

Catching her cheeks becoming red as two big cherries, Sousuke suddenly became very alarmed. "Chidori, are you all right?" Putting a hand on her forehead, he concluded that she did not have a fever. "Your face has become quite blemished." By this point, her whole face had become red from embarrassment. Of course, this was completely lost on him, and he pressed harder. "I think that it would be wise for you to refrain from going to school today. I once had a comrade who continued to work and strain himself while sick, and it became his downfall in battle."

Grunting, Kaname pushed the boy away from her. "Just stop it, okay? I just need some space, okay?" Calming down, she smiled at her bodyguard and… precious friend. "Thank you for being worried, but I'm fine. Okay, Sousuke?"

Nodding, the Mithril SRT member stood at attention. "Understood." He was quite puzzled, however, when the girl he had sworn to always protect began laughing. "Um…" Shutting his mouth, he decided that he was better off not knowing. Besides… he found that the sight of her laughing and smiling was… quite lovely.

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After arriving at school, Kaname and Sousuke were soon spotted by the former's best friend Kyoko Tokiwa. "Good morning, Kana! Morning, Sousuke!" she greeted cheerfully while running up to them. Eyeing the two suspiciously, she gave the two a devious grin. "…and why are _you_ two coming to school at the same time?" It wasn't very often that Sousuke arrive on time at school, much less with Kaname. Had something _good_ happened between the two of them last night? Giggling subtly, she watched in delight as blushes appeared on the faces of both of them. "Ah ha, something _did_ happen, didn't it?" She was greatly enjoying teasing the two of them. If someone didn't push them along, they'd never hook up!

"N-nothing happened, Kyoko!" the dark haired girl assured her friend, waving her hands in front of herself frantically. "Honest!" Why in the world did her friend insist on implying things like that? She swore, if she wasn't setting up bad dates for her, she was doing… this, whatever it was she was attempting.

"Ch-Chidori is correct! Nothing happened last night at all! We simply met each other this morning since I had no prior engagements, " Sousuke shouted, voice quite jittery. In his time spent at Jindai High, he had grown to understand what Tokiwa meant when she egged Chidori on like this. The idea of him and her in… that kind of relationship was not an unpleasant thought, but he wasn't sure that she enjoyed the implications of them being… what were the words?… Right, boyfriend and girlfriend. However, he had noticed lately that ever since they returned from Hong Kong, she had been a little less hostile towards him. And although she wouldn't elaborate any further about it, he was sure that she was trying to say something back there. What was it?

Pouting, Kyoko decided to give up… for now, that is. Giggling, she skipped ahead of them to leave the little 'couple' alone. She'd see them get together someday, she swore it. "Okay, whatever you say! See you two in class!"

As her eccentric friend finally cleared earshot, Kaname exhaled, holding her chest as she caught her breath. "Geez, that Kyoko…" So far, she was correct. This was turning out to be a pretty normal day. Nothing out of the ordinary at all had happened so far. Looking to Sousuke, remnants of a blush still on her face, she smiled. "So, should we get to class?" Daringly, she motioned to his arm, biting her lower lip. Gulping loudly, the heat in her face rising, she gathered her nerve and wrapped her arm around his.

Sgt. Sagara stiffened as the girl curled her arm around his own, her body heat against him as they walked closely together, side by side. It felt nice, he admitted to himself, and he took note that she had rested her head against his shoulder. He didn't know what had gotten into her, but he liked it.

Kaname had no idea what had gotten into herself when she had suddenly decided to latch herself onto Sousuke on their way to class. She rarely got this close to Sousuke, but his body felt firm. She could only imagine how chiseled his well-trained body was. Squealing, she shook her head and mentally chastised her self for even letting such dirty thoughts enter her mind. Bad, bad Kaname! God, when the hell did she become such a pervert? Then again, she was a growing young woman… Looking at his face again, she quickly turned away. A rush of naughty images began to fill her hormone-triggered mind. Screaming, she pushed the boy of her current focus away. "Damn it, knock it off!" she exclaimed, thinking out loud but making it sound like she was talking to Sagara. Groaning, she mentally kicked herself. She had done it again…

Sousuke blinked rapidly, wondering what in the world he had done to upset her this time. He wracked his brain for answers again and again, but it just didn't make sense. Maybe it was something he had done earlier? She _did_ have a bad habit of holding grudges. Regardless of the reason, he found that he was quite regretful of the fact that they were no longer arm and arm. "Chidori… Did I mess up again? If so, I apologize."

Kaname groaned, a guilty expression etched on her face. Why oh why did he have to be like that? She felt like curling up and dying for making poor Sousuke feel bad, especially since he had done nothing wrong so far today! Giving him a reassuring smile, she reached over and pinched his sleeve affectionately. "No, don't worry about it. You did nothing wrong, Sousuke. I was just spazzing out for a moment." Sighing, she looked away in shame. "I'm sorry."

"Spazzing…out?" Sousuke asked, wondering what she exactly meant by that. He had heard his comrades on the Tuatha de Danaan often say the phrase, but he had never really inquired what it meant. At the very least, he was glad that he had not upset Chidori. He had been trying to control his instinct, but doing so was proving quite difficult, especially with Wraith constantly getting his or her jollies off of teasing him with his or her sniper sight. Now that he knew the source of his and Chidori's constant misfortunes and misunderstandings, it was growing quite irritating.

Giggling at her friend and bodyguard's question, she shook her head. He'd never learn, would he? "Never mind. Come on, let's get a move on before we're late!"

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"Good morning, Kazama." Sousuke said, greeting his best male friend at school with a nod as he sat down at his desk.

"Morning, Sousuke." Shinji replied, an excited look on his face. "I just got the newest issue of 'AS Fan', wanna read it?" He had recently gotten his hands on that month's limited edition double issue with gold lettering, a holographic cover, and a bonus free AS figurine and foldout poster. He had already flipped through it a bit, but he had yet to read the whole thing.

"Affirmative." Sousuke said with a bit of excitement evident in his voice. "I have been waiting for that particular issue as well. How were you able to obtain it so early before the street date?"

"Oh, well you see a friend of my dad has some connections, and he…"

Kaname stared at the two boys with a groan, scratching the back of her head. "Well, there those two military nerds go again, with their little morning ritual. I swear, I don't get them at all." Well, she supposed it was only natural for poor Sousuke, having known only fighting for as long as he could remember and all.

She watched idly as Shinji reached into his bag for the magazine, only to accidentally knock out a case of some sort. Raising an eyebrow, she glared as he panicked and suddenly picked it up, attempting to hide it away but finding that he was unable to due to being so uncoordinated in his terrified state. Holding her hand out, she spoke sternly. "Kazama, hand it over." As the poor boy shakily presented her with the case, she fell into a state of shock as she realized it was a game of the… naughty sort. The cover image was that of a young and… healthy looking young woman who was as naked as the day she was born, her assets covered up her hands. Blue hair cascading down her back as she lie on a bed with pink sheets, she wore a vulnerable look on her face as a pair of dark hands spread her creamy white legs wide, the area between them thankfully obscured by the game's title logo, the letters reading 'PICK YOUR BITCH' in big bold English with smaller katakana underneath. The class representative of Jindai Municipal High School's Class 2 of Block 4 could not have been more offended at that moment if you tried. Struggling with all her might to restrain her boiling and unforgiving rage, she spoke through tightly gritted teeth. "Shinji, I'm in a good mood today, so I am giving you to the count of 10 to get that filth of my sight… 1...2...3..."

Screaming frantically, Shinji reluctantly grabbed the game from Kaname's shaking hands, shoved it back into his bag, and absentmindedly tossed everything out the window. Sighing in relief that he was no longer in danger of ending up on the receiving end of one of the magnificent attacks often performed on Sousuke, he soon realized his error. "OHMYGOD!" he screamed, dashing out of the classroom to retrieve his things.

Sousuke, not knowing his peril while in the presence of a still extremely pissed off Kaname, stood up and complimented her on her self-restraint. Thus, he soon found himself in the middle of a pile driver. He had no idea how he got there, or when she found enough time to set it up. All he knew was that he was in for a world of hurt. Grunting loudly as his head was driven into the classroom floor, he was certain that if even for a brief moment, he could hear the sound of a ring bell…

Wincing as she and several other classmates witnessed the act, Kyoko gave Sousuke a sympathetic look. He had been doing so good, too. Sometimes it just paid to keep your mouth shut. "Oooh, poor guy… Excellent execution though, Kaname!" A good portion of the class fell over in disbelief over her second comment.

"Sagara!" a loud, fierce voice shouted, bursting into the classroom unannounced. "You coward! You skipped out on another of my challenges!" The voice belonged to one Issei Tsubaki. Initially arriving with a scowl on his face, he soon began laughing out loud at the current state of his rival. "Wow, Sagara! You got beaten up by a girl? I thought better of you, man."

Kaname, a bit calmer now but still a little on edge, tossed a deadly look to the martial artist as she stood up. She was _not_ in the mood for any nonsense between him and Sousuke at the moment. "You want some too, 'kung-fu boy'?!" Growling, she threw a few fists as a bit of a warning. "Nobody mess with me right now, 'cuz I'm not in the mood!" Her eyebrow twitched a bit as everyone edged a bit away from her, including a recovered undercover mercenary.

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"Oh man, what a day…" Kaname muttered, the final school bell having already rung. She and Sousuke were on their way home, a bit of awkwardness between the two still left over from that morning. She felt a little bad about how she treated him, so she gave him a soft expression. "I'm sorry for earlier… It wasn't any of your fault at all." Passing by an ice cream parlor, she came up with an idea. "Oh, I know! I'll make it up to you! Want some ice cream?" Searching her bag, she checked for some money so she could treat both him and herself. Frowning, she slumped her shoulders in disappointment. "Damn, looks like I left my extra cash at home." She could have sworn she grabbed it before she left for school that morning. Her 'last minute check' wasn't as thorough as she thought it was, she supposed.

"Not a problem, Chidori." Sousuke replied, taking out his own wallet. "I'll pay for the both of us." He could tell that Kaname had a somewhat bad day, so he wanted to make it up to her. At lunch, he almost caused yet another disturbance when he mistook someone's PSP playing a movie about terrorists for a video transmission from real terrorists to their undercover ally. Needless to say, Chidori now owed someone a new handheld. Then, he accidentally attacked the substitute teacher because he resembled a man he once fought in Helmajistan. Thanks to Hayashimizu, he managed to get off with cleaning duty after school every day for the next week. Both boys agreed that the punishment was much too harsh. What's to say that a terrorist _wasn't_ trying to infiltrate the school?

"Are you sure?" Kaname asked, a hesitant look on her face. She just didn't trust him going into a public place without causing a riot of some sort. Maybe she should go in with him…

"Of course. Now please, wait right here and I shall return with our refreshments." Entering the store, he left an exasperated girl behind, wondering whether or not she should follow him in to make sure he didn't kill anyone.

Unfortunately, Kaname didn't get the chance, for several boys from another school passed by, giving her some very unwanted attention. There seemed to be about 6 of them, and they all looked like they came straight out of a Japanese high school gang drama. Glaring at them dangerously as they looked her up and down, she put her hands at her waist. She seriously did not feel like dealing with any more crap today. "Just what do you losers think you are doing?" she spat, curving her lips into a frown.

"Hey, lighten up!" one of them said, tugging at her skirt. "We just wanna show you a good time!"

"Thanks, but no thanks!" she shouted, yanking herself away from him with a tinge of disgust. "Now you guys had better beat it, now!" She knew there was something wrong about these guys. She was starting to become really uncomfortable, and she really hoped Sousuke showed up pretty soon. Not that she couldn't stand up for herself, she just feared what she might do if she had to take care of the problem…

"Or what?" another boy taunted, calling her bluff. He wasn't scared of a girl. What the hell was she going to do, anyway? He placed his hands on her arms only to get bitten. "Ow! You bitch!"

"I believe Chidori told you guys to 'beat it'… I would advise heeding her warning." Sousuke, while in line, witnessed what was going on through the window. Needless to say, he didn't like it. The ice cream could wait, for he was about to teach them what it meant to mess with Kaname on his watch… Which just happened to be all the time, unfortunately for them.

Just then, as he was reaching for a non-lethal but nonetheless painful weapon, he heard a loud screeching noise. He didn't have time to even jumped out of the way when a van barreled into him, sending him rolling across it and onto the street behind the vehicle. He lay almost motionless on the ground, save for some breathing. The van was driven by another guy from the same school as the other punks.

"Oh my god, Sousuke!" Kaname screamed, fearing for her friend's life. Sure, he was a trained soldier, and sure he had been in more perilous situations, but it was still a shock to see something like that happen to someone she cared about. Growling, she head butted a guy in the chin behind her and jumped up, kneeing the guy in front of her. As another thug attempted to grab her from the back, she grabbed his arm and tossed him over her shoulder. Just as she was preparing to turn around and take care of another attacker, she felt a sudden painful jolt through her body, making her shake violently. She fell to the ground, unconscious, her pursuers looking on with grins on their faces as their classmate put his stun gun he had hidden away back in place. Right before she lost consciousness, she thought to herself 'Oh god damn it. Not again…'

"Geez, she sure gave us some trouble, didn't she?" one guy grunted, picking Kaname up and tossing her over his shoulder. "Too bad we'll have to drug her up… Seems like she'd be a beast in bed while fully awake, huh?" Chuckling, he and cohorts hopped into the van with perverse thoughts filling their heads involving their newest catch. "Looks like we can chalk up another trophy girl for the Fuwasaki High Wild Warriors!" The depraved hoodlums drove off, leaving Sousuke for dead.

_**To Be Continued…**_

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Hmm, the ending was a bit rough, but I'm pretty satisfied with the rest, considering this is simply a side work. Later.


	2. The Rescue

All right, time for the next entry! I see a few people enjoyed that last one. Good, because I'm a little more disappointed in that last entry than I thought I was. Hopefully, this next one will be better. WARNING: This chapter contains spoilers for Full Metal Panic! The Second raid.

-Kouji Tamino

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**Finding Yourself in a Routine Plot**

Situation 2: _Rescue Mission_

Sousuke awoke with a start, quickly realizing that A: it was already getting dark, B: Kaname was missing, and C: he was in a hospital. Memories of the moments before a speeding vehicle hit him flashed before his eyes. As his mind worked the pieces all together, he soon understood that the incident with the van as he was attempting to rescue Chidori was no accident. Those bastards had intentionally taken him out in order to keep him from interfering. Once he finally managed to discover where they had taken Chidori, he was going to make them pay severely for even laying a finger on Chidori.

There was only one problem, however. He not only had no idea where they had gone, he had no way to determine the location either. He could ask around in order to collect recon, but it appeared to be much too late in the day for anyone who might have witnessed the incident to still even be around. Sitting up in his bed, wincing as he finally noticed that his ribs were bandaged up, he made up his mind. "It doesn't matter. I must find Miss Chidori."

"Oh! So you're awake, Mr. Sagara!" a nurse replied as she walked in, carrying a pencil board with several pieces of paper clamped to it. Looking the papers over, she quirked an eyebrow as she read. "Oh my, what a nasty accident you were in!" She shouted obliviously. "It's a wonder you're looking so well!"

"That was no accident…" Sousuke muttered to himself under his breath. Stiffening as the nurse asked him what he had just said, he coughed awkwardly, fist to his mouth. "I-it was nothing, ma'am! I was just wondering how long I would be detained here at this facility!"

"Oh, is that all?" The nurse asked, giggling. Looking back at the papers, she nodded. "Hmm, says here that you'll be free to go tomorrow once it's confirmed that you're stable. Anyway, you seem to be doing quite fine, so I'll just leave you to rest for the night. Good night, Mr. Sagara!"

"Good night…" Sousuke replied, nodding simply. As the nurse left the room, he looked around intently. He had to find a way out of here without alerting anyone. "Sorry, but I have no intention of staying here", he said to no one in particular. Conveniently, his clothes were all folded up and sitting on a nearby chair. Checking to make sure that no one was close by, he slowly slipped from his bed, unceremoniously ripped out all the tubes connected to him, and began to put his school uniform back on. "I hope that I'm not too late."

After managing to escaped out through the window with his things, he aimlessly wandered the city, making his way back to the ice cream parlor where the incident had taken place earlier that day. "There doesn't appear to be any clues to where they could have gone. This this will _not_ be an easy mission."

"Sagara?" a rough voice replied, the source walking out of the shadows into the open with his hands in his pockets. It was fellow student and school rival Issei Tsubaki. "Is that you? You look terrible, what the hell happened to you?" He had a fierce aura about him, as if he had just gotten out of a fight or was ready to fight. It was beginning to unnerve even the usually unshakeable Sousuke Sagara. Sensing this, he reassured the other boy. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not here to pick a fight. I just got finished training with the rest of the Amateur Karate Club. They're all sitting around resting after the thorough beating I gave them. They're getting too soft, if you ask me", he replied with a slight tinge of disgust evident in his voice. "I barely broke a sweat. If you weren't looking so ragged yourself, I'd challenge you right here and now!" He shouted, raising his fists with a smirk. "Both to settle our score, and to quench my thirst for a challenge!"

"Chidori has been kidnapped, Tsubaki." Sousuke explained bluntly, un-phased as he was suddenly grabbed by the shirt and screamed at. He had been expecting this. "I don't know where they took her, nor what school they go to. Please, will you…" Pausing for a moment, he sighed. It was true that he didn't get along that well with the arrogant martial artist, but he couldn't deny that his skills would be highly invaluable in rescuing the girl. So for once, he was willing to swallow his pride when it came to Issei Tsubaki and ask for his assistance. "Tsubaki, will you please help me find her?"

"Of course I will!" Issei shouted, suddenly getting really pumped up and energetic, driven by the prospect of being the one to actually rescue her and claim her undying love. Of course, he wouldn't actually make this public knowledge, but that was how he felt, damn it! If anything ever happened to her, he didn't know what he would do. "Come on, let's go! My fighting spirit is on fire! We're bound to run into a lot of guys just asking for a brawl!"

Giving the fighter an irritated look, he rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. Perhaps asking him was a bad idea after all. His over eagerness could become a liability. "Like I said, I have no idea where to go and--" Just at that moment, his cell phone rang. Looking at the outer screen before answering it, he scoffed at the familiar number. It was Wraith who was calling him. What in the hell did he or she want? He almost didn't want to take the wretched call, but after some thinking, perhaps Wraith had some information as to the location of Chidori. He or she _had_ to have witnessed the incident, so it was quite likely. Finally resolving to answer the phone, Sousuke spoke in a firm voice. "Yes. What is it?"

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"My my, Sagara…" Wraith replied tauntingly, speaking through her voice modifier. Just because Chidori knew her identity didn't mean that her idiotic 'bodyguard', if you could even call him that anymore, needed to. "You don't seem to be in a very good mood." The Mithril Intelligence agent chuckled. Knowing Sagara, Chidori was in no real danger. She could afford to have a little fun with him for the moment.

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"I'm not in the mood for your games today, Wraith." Sousuke growled, his mood bordering on anger now. He didn't want to answer that call and this was why. The agent had a particularly annoying skill of getting under his skin whenever they talked with each other. If he didn't know any better, he would swear that he or she got off on verbally tearing into him. "Do you know the whereabouts of the people that kidnapped Chidori? If so, could you please tell me?"

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"I don't know… Should I assist such an insubordinate member of Mithril?" Wraith teased, utterly enjoying getting a rise out of the young TDD-1 SRT member. It was boring just observing Kaname Chidori unless she herself put a few ripples into the water, and Sgt. Sagara was just such a perfect target of her amusement.

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"I don't give a damn about Mithril!" Sousuke shouted, finally letting his anger get the best of him. Quickly regaining his composure, he took a deep breath and humbled himself for the second time that night. "Please, Wraith… I need your help if our efforts are to be a success. I will forever be in your debt."

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Wraith smirked. She had won once again. She wasn't doing this for him, though. She owed Chidori her life, and she still felt that she hadn't yet paid her dues. Besides, she wasn't about to admit out loud, but she had grown rather fond of the girl. She was tough, spunky, and had handled herself quite well during the initial rooftop meeting and the incident with the assassin that followed. She couldn't let anything happen to her, not after all she had been through. "Fine. Just pay attention to my directions and you'll find her, no questions. By the way, you'd be better off to _not_ spout off words like Mithril among citizens."

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"…Th-thank you… And yes, I understand." Sousuke muttered, having been beaten in the verbal war between him and Wraith once again. He intently began to write down the instructions before hanging up without even saying so much as 'bye'. He was in no mood for anymore 'small talk'. Now that he had the location of the thugs, Tsubaki and he could finally go rescue Chidori. "All right, I've secured the location, so let's go."

Issei was understandably confused by the phone conversation that had just taken place. He also wanted to meet the person on the other line. Anyone who could rile up the always-somber military nut was quite a character indeed. "Wait… who was that? And what the hell is Mithril?"

The dark haired solider for hire became rigid, slowly turning towards his temporary partner. Once again, he had jeopardized his position. He had to quit blurting out things that civilians had no business knowing. "Oh, Mithril? That was nothing, just some dumb obscure video game."

Not really buying the obvious lie, the green haired boy decided to let it slide for now. Saving the lovely Miss Chidori was much more important at the moment. "Fine, whatever. Let's just go already!"

Nodding with an expression of intensity, Sousuke took out one of his many weapons from who-knows-where. "Affirmative! There's not the minute to lose!" The two rivals were off, bursting into a run towards their destination.

-----

When they arrived, they found that the enemy made their base of an old warehouse. "God, that's so cliché…" Tsubaki whispered, a scowl on his face. "I mean, seriously. An abandoned warehouse? How stale can you get?" The two scouted the area and found that the most accessible entrance was the one on the far right. There was only one guy guarding the door and he seemed to be isolated from the others.

"All right, here's our strategy", Sousuke began, reaching around to find a suitable weapon. "I'll launch a smoke bomb. Once that distracts him, you head in and use hand-to-hand to incapacitate him. Once he is out of the way, I'll grab his key if necessary and we will head in. We have no idea what we'll find inside, so be prepared for anything, including an ambush." The scarred boy had no idea if this plan would work. They might even be stopped at the door. And if they did manage to infiltrate the base, then what? There was no telling how many people were in there. He was confident in his skills, but the fact was that he was exhausted and injured. He wouldn't be able to perform at 100, and someone just might decide to take advantage of that.

On the other hand, what would happen to Chidori if he didn't at least try? The sick and twisted things that the punks in that building could be doing to her made his stomach churn and his blood boil. He had to go, for her sake.

Luckily for him, Issei had similar thoughts, so there was no need to try and convince him. The duo snuck around the surroundings plant life and quickly made their plan a reality and successfully made their way into the warehouse. There seemed to only be about 10-15 guys there, so that was good. What wasn't good, however, was that as soon as they entered the building, they all took notice of the intruders. The brawl was on, and there was no turning back.

Both boys were managing to take on several opponents at one due to their superior fighting skills, but a wounded Sousuke was quickly tiring. He decided his next best option was to make a break for it at the next available opportunity. He could spot a door that led to another section of the warehouse and possibly Kaname. Finding his opening, he took it, shouting. "I'm going to get Chidori! Cover me!"

Issei, sensing that his rival was in no condition to continue beating back all of these relentless attacks, nodded and agreed grudgingly. "Go on ahead! I'll keep 'em busy for you!" Standing in front of the 6 remaining guys, he smirked. "Hold on, fellas. Your fight…" waving his hands in front of himself, his body began to glow with a piercing blue aura. "…is with me!"

The hoodlums from another school stood still as if frozen, their bodies shaking in fear at the frightening atmosphere he gave off. "Why can't I move?" One boy asked rhetorically, sweat dripping down his brow. "Wait, that stance… He can't be prepared to use _that_ move, can he? It hasn't been correctly performed in 56 years supposedly!"

Tsubaki could only laugh as they stood in awe at his power. Soon they would feel the full wrath of his new technique. "That's right! I learned this one from an old man in the mountains!" Suddenly, his aura changed to that of a glowing fire-like orange, and his intensity began to grow. A powerful wind burst from his body and pushed the thugs back a few inches, their eyes widening as they started eyeing the doors to make their retreat. "This hand of mine is burning red! Its loud roar tells me to grasps victory! Bakunetsu… God…"

-----

Sousuke finally reached, the door, pulling out his trusty Glock and blowing the lock off. After kicking the door open, he found three more boys with their hands all over a barely conscious, drugged up and half naked Kaname. His horror at seeing the girl's school uniform in tatters and strewn all over the floor didn't take long to turn into violent anger and hatred for the ones responsible. How DARE they do such a thing to Chidori. He was having trouble just keeping his composure, not having been this angry since Hong Kong. Grabbing one of the boys by the collar, he shoved the barrel of his Glock right at his forehead, shaking hand tightening threateningly on the trigger. As the other two ran off and left their friend to the mercy of the ticked off mercenary, Sagara stared at him coldly and spoke in an equally frigid tone that echoed his behavior back when he believed that Chidori had been killed under the orders of Gauron. "It appears that your comrades have abandoned you", he taunted, finger continuing to play with the trigger. "That's too bad for you." Just as he was about to pull it, a feminine hand clasped his hand gently. Looking over to the girl, he slowly became his normal self again, eyes softening. "Ch-Chidori?"

"Please… don't do it, Sousuke", Kaname said weakly, staring at her friend through half lidded eyes. She could barely stay awake, and she felt horribly ill. Just how much drugs had those bastards pumped into her body, and what kind of sick things had they planned to do to her that required her to be this out of it? Still, despite what they had done and almost did to her, she didn't want to see Sousuke senselessly kill an unarmed person out of pure spite. If she let him do that, then the boy that she cared for… the boy that she was falling in love with, even… might be lost forever. "I don't want you to become a cold blooded killer, so please…" Squeezing his hand a little tighter, she gave him a warm smile. "Besides, I'm all right. You saved me just in time, just like always…" Slowly losing her consciousness again, she rested her head against the boy's lap.

"Sorry Chidori, but it's already too late for that", Souske whispered, thinking back to how he had pretty much murdered a quadiplegic Gauron on what was practially his deathbed. Although knowing Chidori, after what the sadistic man had put them all through, she probably wouldn't mind _too_ much if she ever found out... Tossing the now passed out punk to the side, Sousuke took off his uniform jacket and placed it on Kaname's body to somewhat preserve her modesty before gently picking her up and turning to head back into the part of the warehouse he came in from. Glancing at all the scattered bodies, he looked to the creator of most of the carnage. "I presume that you had no trouble with the rest, Tsubaki?" His gaze turned to one group of guys in particular, who were singed, smoking, and had a strange orange glow to them.

Issei stared forlornly at Kaname as her sleeping form nuzzled against Sousuke's white dress shirt. He was glad that she was safe, though. That's what really mattered. Smirking cockily, he picked at his nose with his thumb. "Yeah, they were nothing. So, you doing okay Sagara? I could tell that you're pretty banged up. What did they do to you, anyway?"

"They attempted to exterminate me with a motor vehicle," Sousuke replied indifferently, his normal expression and tone not changing at all. "Their fatal flaw was not finishing the job and making sure that I had truly expired. What a flimsy assassination effort. And yes, I'll be fine. I'm taking Chidori home and I no longer require your help. Thank you, and I am truly grateful for what you've done."

"Now wait a second… You got hit by a car driven with an intent to kill or maim, and you still did what you did tonight?" Issei was completely dumbfounded, but he didn't want to here anymore. Both physically and mentally exhausted, he just decided to go home and turn in. "Well goodnight, Sagara. Make sure that Chidori gets home safely, okay?" Turning with a casual wave, he walked away from the pair.

Urzu 7 nodded, turning in the opposite direction to walk to the train station so Kaname and he could get home. It had been quite the day, and he really hoped that nothing else went awry on the way there.

Wraith watched from a nearby rooftop, a small grin on her face. It looks like her gamble on the Sgt. Had paid off. Chidori was safe, no casualties had resulted, and damage had been kept to a minimum. If there was anything she could fault Sagara for this time, it was the fact that the idiot had forgotten to call the police on those punks. Picking up her phone, she began dialing. Her work was never done…

_**To Be Concluded…**_


	3. Morning After

And now we arrive at the final chapter. After this I shall once again disappear from the fan fiction scene in order to work on my original epic, 'Legend of the Guardian Children'. The first book of _that_ story can be found in completion at FictionPress. Please check it out; it's probably some of my best work so far.

Anyway, enough shameless plugging. On with the panic!

-Kouji Tamino

-----

**Finding Yourself in a Routine Plot**

Final Situation: _Morning After_

The following morning, Kaname awoke early. The drugs had worn off to the point that she could finally think clearly, but she still felt terribly out of it. Just sitting up without feeling dizzier than usual was a challenge. Her vision was a bit fuzzy initially, but it was clearing up more and more as the minutes passed. Her eyes wandered the room as she tried to make sense of where she was. One thing was for certain, though. She was _not_ in her own room at the moment. In fact, as her vision returned, she could have sworn that she was in Sousuke's room. Squealing as she made out the form of shirtless Sagara, her suspicions were confirmed. "Sousuke? What the am I doing at your place?" Feeling a brief chill, she looked down at her own body to see that with the exception of her underwear and an open Jindai High boy's uniform jacket, she was not wearing much. Her confused state became an enraged one as she covered herself up as much as possible. Heads were going to roll for this if she didn't get answers quick! "And why the hell am I half naked?!"

Sousuke, whose mood had been rather somber and contemplative, had instantly gone into full-on alert mode as soon as Kaname had began raising her voice. He was beginning to get that dreary feeling that he got whenever it seemed like she was going to hit him. Freezing up, he could just hear Wraith laughing as he or she watched him squirm, he just knew it. "Ch-ch-ch-Chidori! If you recall the thugs that kidnapped you destroyed your uniform so I was forced to bring you to my place in your current state of dress because I thought that it would be rude to search through your things!" As he spoke rapidly in a run-on sentence, the girl's harisen seemed to fly towards his head in slow motion. After he finished, he closed his eyes in expectations of a beating, but it never came. Instead he found himself wrapped in the embrace of a crying whispered girl. Her body shook against his as she whimpered and sniffled, her tears wetting the bed sheets. Dumbfounded and almost at a loss of what to do, he stared at her in concern as he placed an arm at her waist. "Chidori? What's wrong?"

"Oh god, Sousuke!" Kaname cried out, her voice uneasy yet relieved. "I was so scared! I really thought they were going to… Thank goodness you were there!" Gasping as she realized that their half dressed upper bodies were pressed against each other, she backed away, falling back onto the bed. Getting a better look at Sousuke's bandaged torso, she put her hands to her mouth in shock. "Oh, Sousuke… You're hurt!" She guessed that he sustained that injury from either the van that hit him or rescuing her. Either way, he had gotten seriously harmed because of her again.

"It's not a problem, Chidori", the soldier assured her. He had gotten much more severe injuries while in battle. He would be fine in about a week or two, tops. "I'll be alright. I'm just glad that you're safe." If he and Issei hadn't have made it in time, there's no telling what those boys would have done to her.

Smiling softly, the dark haired girl blushed slightly at the concern he was showing towards her. He may be a huge screw up most of the time, but he came through every once in a while and either did or said something that reminded her why she loved him so much. …Not that she'd actually admit it, even to him. "By the way", she began, curious to know something. "Was Issei with you? I think I heard his voice."

"Affirmative", Sousuke confirmed without a hitch. "Tsubaki provided his assistance in your rescue last night." He would have to repay him for that somehow, he realized. Perhaps he would actually face him in combat for once. Thinking about Tsubaki's physical prowess and how he had basically beaten him through the martial artist's own negligence, he thought better of that idea. "How about you, Chidori? How are you feeling?"

"A lot better than before, thanks…" Kaname replied, standing up. Looking at the clock, she gasped in alarm. She was going to be late for school if she didn't hurry! Rushing towards the bedroom doorway, she grunted as her bodyguard put a hand on her shoulder. "Stop it, Sousuke! I've got to get ready for school!"

"That won't be a problem, Chidori", Sousuke said. "I called us both in sick, so you can rest and recover from those drugs as soon as possible. I will stay here as well to make sure you're properly taken care of." He didn't believe that it would be a very good idea for the class rep and Student Council Vice-President to show up at school under the influence of non-prescribed drugs, lest the entire school be led to think that she had become a junkie. No, it was better for her to rest at home and let the drugs wear off.

"Well, that's very nice off you Sousuke, but you should go to school. Your grades are suffering as it is, so you can't afford to miss much more of school if you want to pass", Kaname said in half annoyance and half concern. While she thought it was very considerate of him to want to make sure that she was well, she really didn't like the idea of him watching her every move while she recovered. Plus, she was serious about his grades. "So get your ass in gear and get to school, Sousuke!" she said forcefully, pointing towards the doorway.

Sighing, Sousuke nodded. "You're right, Chidori. It would be unfortunate if I was unable to graduate with the rest of you in Class 2-4 due to being held back for my less than adequate grades." With an about face, he stiffly walked out of the room, grabbing his dress shirt in the process. As he entered the doorway, he turned back to the girl. "Keep the jacket for now. I'll retrieve it later." Soon, he was gone, leaving her all alone.

Sighing, Kaname decided that she should just try to sleep the drugs off for now. Noticing that it was a bit chilly, she mentally thanked Sousuke with a smile for leaving his jacket and tugged it around herself tightly before slowly nodding off to sleep. She would have to thank him for all this properly later… Maybe a nice dinner?

-----

A few hours had passed, and Kaname awoke again with a yawn. Slowly rising from her laying position, she loudly smacked her lips, wincing at the bitter taste that one gets from sleeping late. According to Sousuke's clock, school had ended almost an hour ago. "Ugh…" she grunted, noting that the temperature had risen quite significantly in the time that had passed since she had went back to sleep. Tugging off the now sweat soaked jacket that Sousuke had lent her for the moment, she flushed with embarrassment. She'd have to wash it before returning it to him. Hugging it to her body, she gently sniffed it and chuckled as she caught the familiar scent of gunpowder and oil that seemed to accompany him lingering amongst her own aroma that now clung to it. Biting her lip at the implied intimacy, she whispered his name sweetly.

"You called, Chidori?" the aforementioned Sergeant asked after rolling from under his bed that his ward was currently using, Glock in hand and in a relatively fresh uniform. He was energetically greeted by several rapid-fire stomps to the face. Fortunately, Kaname was not wearing her shoes so it didn't hurt as much as it usually did. Nonetheless, it was still quite painful. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow… Judging by your vigor, you must be feeling much better."

"I told you, don't scare me like that!" the girl screamed, panting heavily. That last burst of energy made her a little faint, however, and she quickly fell over, out of bed, and onto a surprised Sousuke. "Oof! Ow…" Sitting up slightly, she stared down at the boy, unwillingly showing off her cleavage, which was glistening in a light sheen of sweat.

Gritting his teeth, the mercenary attempted to make it out of this awkward situation with his sanity in tact, his hands at her waist in instinct after catching her to lessen her fall. His hands were becoming slick in her body fluids, and he could feel the tension rising… both figuratively and physically. It didn't help that he had a good view of her… rather soaked curves, and he didn't know what move to make next without putting his life on the line.

Kaname had also noticed something… rising to the attention. Normally she would have smacked him, but she paused for a moment and thought of it as progress. It was about time that he showed interest in a girl, and to tell the truth… she was kind of flattered. Her cheeks turning redder by the minute, she gave him a bit of a mischievous smile. "Like what you see, soldier?" Giggling as he began blubbering like an idiot, she slowly got up, intentionally pressing her breasts against his chest to get him a little more riled up. With as dead serious as he was most of the time, it was cute seeing him get so freaked out. "Relax, I was just kidding!" she shouted, a big smile on her face. "Man, you are too much sometimes!" She didn't know if it was the drugs or what, but she was having fun!

"You appear to be doing well, Ms. Chidori", Student Council President Atsunobu Hayashimizu said wryly, standing in the door way with Ren Mikihara by his side. His fan opened up, the characters for 'Full Recovery' printed on it. His secretary was holding a basket, most likely filled with gifts or medicine. "Although, judging by the fact that you are parading around in your underwear like a cheap floozy, you _must_ still be ill, and delusional to boot. Such behavior is unbecoming of Vice President of Jindai High's student council, wouldn't you say?" He closed his fan and opened it again, now emblazoned with the word 'whore'.

Growling loudly, she stomped towards him and attempted to whack him good with her own paper fan. "How dare you call me that! I don't care if you're the Prime Minister of Japan, nobody calls me a--" She yelped as he skillfully dodged, causing her to trip over herself in her wooziness. Another blush spread over her face as he tactfully caught her by the waist, gently lifting her up and leaving her speechless.

"You should be more careful, Ms. Chidori", he whispered. He didn't necessarily come to antagonize her, but she was certainly making it quite easy to do so. "Mikihara and I have come with some good old fashioned remedies to help you get better." Nodding to her, he signaled for his secretary to fish out the goods.

Nodding back, Ren serenely set the basket on the floor while elegantly sitting on her knees and reaching into the basket. She listed the items off as she removed them from the basket and set them aside. "Rice porridge, hot ginger drink, miso soup, egg and sake--"

Kaname quirked an eyebrow at that last one, which contained strong alcohol, but listened as her friend continued.

"Various cold medicines, hot potatoes, Chinese water leeches--" Slowly but surely, the remedies were getting stranger and stranger. Not surprisingly, Atsunobu and Sousuke didn't even so much as blink. Kaname, however, was actually beginning to get a little distressed.

"Potatoes?!" Kaname asked incredulously, seemingly less concerned about the carnivorous bloodsucking worms that were in her room. "What for?!"

"To wear around your neck in a sack or rub on your forehead, of course!" Ren replied, as if it was a completely normal cure. She continued without missing a beat. "--marshmallows, sugar water, mucus from a frog, and a green onion suppository!" She said as she finished, holding up the long plant.

"Green onion suppository?!" Kaname shouted, absolutely horrified by the mere thought of such a thing entering her through her… unmentionable area. There was no way they were getting near her with it.

"The negi it is…" Atsunobu replied, taking her shout as a request, a smirk on his face as the 'patient' gaped in revulsion and began to loudly protest. Looking to his fellow male schoolmate and Security of the Student Council, he nodded. "Sagara, restrain her. She'll be a little squeamish and we have to make sure it enters in one shot."

"Aye aye, sir!" Sousuke said with a salute, rushing over to push Kaname back onto her bed and pin her down. "Just hold still Chidori, still will be over soon!" If the Student Council President said that this would help Kaname, who was he to argue? Then again, he seemed to be too caught up to remember that she was not really 'sick' per say.

"Let me go, you idiot!" Kaname scolded, struggling to break herself free. Alas, her efforts were for not, as the usually tranquil daughter of a yakuza boss approached, green onion in hand, with rather bizarrely eager look on her face. She could only close her eyes and wait for the moment to end…

"Good evening, Kaname!" a cheerful and chipper voice greeted, bringing with it the rather bubbly best friend of the athletic girl. "How are you feeling?… Erm…" Looking at the rather unusual scene before her, Sousuke pinning a lingerie-clad Kaname to the bed with Ren walking over holding a somewhat phallic symbol near her thighs while Atsunobu watched on with a smug look on his face. "Um… did I miss something?"

"Nothing at all, Ms. Tokiwa", the light haired boy replied, stepping towards her. "We were just attempting to help take care of Chidori's cold. If you would, could you please help hold her down? She is being quite uncooperative in the insertion of the suppository."

"Oh, sure I will!" Kyoko said, always seemingly eager to put her best friend through moderate torture. She walked over and patted her friend on the head playfully. "Naughty Kana! Come on, it will be fine!"

"Kyoko, you traitor!" Kaname cried, struggling even harder now that her most trusted of 'normal' schoolmates had joined the legions of 'Green Onion Molesters'. "I'll get you all after this, I swear I will!"

"What the hell is going on here?!" Sergeant Major Melissa Mao shouted, arriving with Sergeant Kurz Weber and a basket of fruit. She had just wasted half of her day off stuck in traffic getting here. She was not in the mood for any bullshit, to be perfectly blunt.

"Melissa!" Kaname shouted, pushing a temporarily stunned Sousuke off. "Listen up, everybody!" she began, wanting to set things straight with everyone before they all got even more out of hand. "I appreciate your concerns, but I feel fine now! I just need to rest and I'll be good as new tomorrow!" Sighing, she crossed her arms. "But I can't do that unless you all stop being so pushy!" And what she wanted to know was how they all knew that she was at Sousuke's place, and why had he left the door open for them to get in in the first place? It wasn't like him at all.

"Sorry, Kaname…" Kyoko muttered, a bit ashamed that she let things get that out of control. She didn't mean to make Kaname upset, it's just that, well, they all looked like they were having fun! She really only meant to be her for a few minutes actually, to wish her well and bring Kaname her work for the day so she could make it up. She would have had Sousuke do it for her, but knowing him, he might blow it up somehow. "Oh right, here's what we did at school today!" she explained, getting the work out of her backpack and handing it to her. "Make sure you don't forget to do it!"

"Thanks Kyoko, I won't!" Kaname replied with a smile as she accepted it. Next up were Melissa and Kurz. As Mao placed the fruit basket on her desk and explained that they knew she was 'sick' was because they had run into Kyoko earlier in the day, she laughed a bit as the older woman punched the long haired man in the back of the head for commenting on the teenager's underwear. "Thanks for visiting, you guys!"

"Oh, no problem Angel!" Kurz said with a grin, rubbing his sore noggin. He had to learn to watch out for Mao's fist more often. "Just you hurry up and get well, okay?" Smirking as he walked away, he whispered into the younger boy's ear as he passed him. "Sousuke, you dog…." As usual, Urzu 7 was completely oblivious to what Urzu 6 was implying.

Finally, Atsunobu and Ren finally relented in simply leaving the normal cold medicines and a few of the meals they had brought. Kaname thanked them gratefully, for more reason than one. She was so glad that Melissa had arrived when she did.

Just when things finally seemed to be calming down, a new visitor arrived. She was quite petite, with big gray eyes and gorgeous ash blonde hair. With a bright smile on her face, she waved giddily. "Hello, Kaname! I heard from Mr. Weber that you were ill, and I was in town, so I immediately rushed here as soon as I could!"

As her classmates brightened up over the return of their beloved former-classmate of several weeks, the more violent of the two whispered girls in the room tossed a glare at Kurz. "Well, now I know who to kill once I'm feeling better…"

Sweating profusely, Kurz chuckled nervously, fearful of the wrath of Mt. Chidori. "Well, look at the time! Nice to seeya again everyone, but I gotta jet!" His attempt to escape was cut short as Melissa grabbed him by the collar. "Ack…"

"Oh, my Kaname…" Tessa said playfully, a hand to her mouth. "I didn't think that you were the type of person to walk around in her underwear when there are guests visiting! I'm shocked!" Despite her act, she was laughing on the inside. '_Poor Kaname must be so embarrassed right now!_' She wanted to have a little fun with her to get back at her for snatching away the free time that _she_ had wanted to spend with Sousuke today. It was so unfair! She rarely got to spend much time with Sousuke these days, and the one time she finally got a chance, Kaname once again got his full attention!

Thinking that Tessa was hitting a bit below the belt, Melissa decided to even the playing field a bit. She'd also probably stir things up again, but that would be interesting to see. "I dunno, Tessa… I don't think you have much leeway to say things like that, especially considering that the last time Sousuke was here, you were rubbing all over him while sleepwalking half naked and all."

"That's different, and you know it!" Captain Testarossa screamed, stamping her feet angrily like a child. She would rather _not_ have that less than dignified moment in her life become public knowledge, thank you. It was especially upsetting that people that knew her were finding out. "That's really not fair, Melissa! You were the one who got me drunk in the first place!"

Sousuke froze as this conversation went on. Right, he had neglected to tell Chidori about that little incident in concern for his safety. Now that it was out in the open, he doubted that he'd live much longer. Judging by the murderous look that she was giving him, he probably wasn't far from the truth.

-----

The guests all departed at around the same time, saying their goodbyes as they maneuvered around a floored Sousuke, his legs up in the air in an awkward position. Kaname sighed heavily as she heard her apartment door close shut in the distance, extremely relieved that they were all gone. It was nice that they cared, but they were really becoming a handful. Looking over to her bodyguard, she tilted her head. "Hey Sousuke, are you okay?"

"Not a problem. My injuries were not aggravated." Sousuke reoriented himself and stood up, hands at his sides. "I must escort you home now, do my homework, and eat dinner. I will check up on you tomorrow and if you are well enough we will go to school like usual." Turning to get ready to leave, his wrist was suddenly caught in the girl's grip. Looking back, he gave her an enquiring look.

"Hey, if you want…" She began, cheeks glowing pink as she struggled to get the words out. "I meant it, I feel much better now. So if you want…" She grunted, trying to get out what she wanted, no, needed to say. "…can I stay and make dinner... for the both of us?" Her body suddenly felt several times lighter, much to her relief. It wasn't a confession, but it would do for now. Recoiling at her own stench, she looked away, ashamed to even have let herself go un-cleaned for so long. "Of course, if you don't mind waiting for me to take a shower, that is. I really reek."

Thinking for a moment, Sousuke weighed his options. He could have her stay, with further risk for awkwardness to emerge between them, or eat dinner alone peacefully, with no potential mishaps or accidents. After deciding what was more important to him, he smiled. "Yes. That would be nice."

_**End.**_


End file.
